Quizzed earlier in the afternoon on the chances of Hashtagyolo in the Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes, Anthony Delpech hedged his bets. “She has a hard task and want’s further so if she wins today she is really something special.”

Those words of caution may have lead to Hashtagyolo being easy to back, going through the gates at 5-2 as the money arrived for facile maiden winner Statute, but it proved not race. Hashtagyolo roared down the Greyville straight sounding an ominous Champions Season warning, the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 an obvious target even this early in the season.

Hashtagyolo

Barbara Bardenhorst does a fine job at Dean Kannemeyer’s Summerveld satellite yard and was understandably happy with the result. “There were a lot of questions going into today, the step up in class, the distance, because she’s looking for further.

“Jeez, by the way she won today I think we have something special here.”

Delpech confirmed.

“She really gave me a feel today. She’s something special. She’s a star!” he concluded.

“The last time I rode her I felt she did too much even though she won. Today I found cover but they kept pulling slower and slower and I said if I stay here I’m going to get beat.”

Sail set a desperately slow early gallop tracked by top weight She’s A Giver and kept finding in the straight for a game second. She’s A Giver surrendered tamely as Roy’s Riviera finished well for third.

Dawn Calling tracked Hashtagyolo into the straight but the red light on the dashboard was flashing early.

The afternoon yielded a double for Dennis Drier as the well-supported Crown And Country made a winning debut in the opening Juvenile Maiden and followed up in the fourth where Rani, switched to the turf, got home under a hard ride from apprentice Diego de Gouveia.

Also rounding off the Old Year with a double was Duncan Howells as The North Face finally got his act together and Byline gave rookie stallion Byword a double after Crown And Country.

By Andrew Harrison

The ten race Turffontein Standside meeting tomorrow is headed by the Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint over 1000m and the progressive Alfolk could be the one to beat, although there are a number of horses in with chances.

Alfolk has improved as a three-year-old and has a lot of early speed coupled with the ability to stay on so it will take a good one to catch him on this easy track, despite him having to overcome a five point merit rated raise. The Thinker could be the one to do it as he has come into his own this season and has been especially effective since hold up tactics have been employed. He finished powerfully last time to win the Grade 2 Merchants over 1160m and was consequently given a seven point merit rated raise. Angel’s Power has good cruising speed and packs a strong finish so can be involved here from a nice high draw.

Rivarine

Whorly Whorly is officially 1kg under sufferance here but has always show plenty of talent. He proved it last time when flying up to win over this trip and is now having his third run after a layoff. If Ravarine returned to his best over this ideal course and distance he would probably win it, having dropped to a merit rating of only 98. He was not striding out last time in his third run after a layoff and gelding, so has to prove he is still the same horse he once was. Talktothestars is a former champion sprinter and is a real soldier. However, for a six-year-old he has had a busy program and was running at Scottsville less than a week ago. Movie Show has to defy being 2kg under sufferance, but she did win recently when under sufferance so can’t be ignored. Donny G went close over 1160m last Saturday proving he is off a competitive mark at present.

The last leg of the Pick 6 is a Pinnacle Stakes race over 2400m and could be fought out by two fillies, Witchcraft and Fortissima, who are well in at the weights and distance suited. Witchcraft should be cherry ripe and looks to have enjoyed a good build up into this race. She has a wide draw but will likely be taken to the front and can gallop on to the line. Go Direct could be the main danger two the two fillies as a five-year-old son of Go Deputy, which means he will be coming into his own and should love this trip.

The first leg of the Pick 6 looks open at first sight but on closer inspection the two horses which stand out are Ration My Passion and Get Your Grove On. The former had an unfavourable low draw on debut over 1160m and after a slow start was outpaced. He finished on the outside and was flying through at the line and would have got closer than a 3,05 length fifth if he had not encountered traffic problems. Get Your Grove On was in that same race and caught the eye with his lovely action. He stayed on for a 2,25 length third. Both of these two horses will relish the step up to 1400m.

In the first leg of the Jackpot two horses who are suited to 1400m are likely to fight it out, Redberry Lane and Zouaves. This distance is not a sprint and not a mile, so it is worth following horses who specialise over it and these two are taken to be enough to get punters through.

The next race sees the classy sprinter Spring Wonder and Alileo set to do battle again. They finished on top of each other last time but there is now a reversal of draw fortunes in Alileo’s favour. The dark horse is Dame Eleanor as she has class and returns from a ten month layoff over a trip short of her best.

In the penultimate leg of the Pick 6 Emerald Bay has shown a good turn of foot before and has a plum draw over a suitable course and distance, so is the one to beat, although a safer Pick 6 would have to include Il Mondo, Cold Cash, Hatfield Square and Faraway Island.

By David Thiselton

Dynasty’s Blossom has cost punters dear in her last three outings but the Joey Ramsden filly can start the New Year on a profitable note in the Supabets Maiden at Durbanville on Monday.

The R 4.5 million yearling purchase seems sure to start favourite for the fourth consecutive time and, although she has yet to win, her form is so superior to that of the opposition that the handicappers rate her 5.5kg (about six lengths over this trip) better than the next best.

Donovan Dillon

Donovan Dillon rides her for the first time and hopefully the decision to step her up in trip will pay the expected dividend.

Runners are thin on the ground with the first four races attracting only five apiece as some of the big players – notably Justin Snaith, Brett Crawford and Vaughan Marshall – have decided to keep their powder dry for the big two-day Queen’s Plate meeting next weekend.

Candice Bass-Robinson and Andre Nel, with ten runners each, have between them provided almost 40% of the card and have kept the show on the road. Kenilworth Racing has decided to pay R1 000 appearance money to the trainers of each runner that passes the post. “We are grateful to them for supporting the meeting and we want to show our appreciation,” said Phumelela boss Clyde Basel yesterday.

Ramsden, who runs five, may also win race two with Lily Theresa. This 1 250m handicap (the authorities appear to have acted on Anthony Delpech’s criticism that the turn starts too soon after the 1 200m start) is due off at the unusual time of 2.27pm. Indeed many of the races have been fixed for similarly unconventional times, presumably to fit into a tight Tellytrack schedule.

Lily Theresa is only third favourite in the TAB sheet betting forecast but the race is tightly handicapped and Grant van Niekerk’s mount has gone close in her last two.

Ramsden and Van Niekerk also have a good chance in the opener with November Storm even though he disappointed when starting joint favourite for the race won by Bernie here over two months ago. However, the vote goes to Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount Dynasty’s Boy who only lost out in a blanket finish by the minimum margin earlier this month.

Harold Crawford also runs five at the meeting and he can take the Tabonline Handicap (race three) with Ready Steady Go who won on debut here in October.

Queen Moira disappointed last time but her previous running here suggests that she can collect in the Betting World Handicap.

By Michael Clower

Saddling more than half of the runners in a seven-horse field does not necessary guarantee victory and that could be the case in the Racing. It’s A Rush Handicap that heads up the Greyville card this evening, all races on the poly track.

With the programme structured as it is, Duncan Howells finds himself in a quandary with a hat-full of fillies with high merit ratings and nowhere to run them without clashing – a similar scenario to Mark Dixon’s plight last week where he saddled most of the field in London Call’s victory.

Lunar Rush

Accidental Tourist and Lunar Rush would appear to be the most fancied of the Howells runners but they come up against another Ashburton-based rival in Neala from the Shane Humby yard.

Like many older horses, the five-year-old Neala has taken to the synthetic surface and finished runner-up in her last two, firstly to Accidental Tourist and more recently, a fast-finishing second from a tricky draw to the end-to-end winner Marshall That.

Accidental Tourist has since franked that form, winning again next time out and following up with a close second when stretched to 1400m for the first time.

However, she meets Neala on 3kg worse terms which in theory should see her turn the tables this time around.

But top weight Lunar Rush is no slouch and was far from disgraced when taking on males in a Pinnacle Stakes and beaten under two lengths by Cutting Edge. She does appear to be a length or two better on the turf but she will be re-united with Anthony Delpech who won on her when beating Isingamoya at Scottsville.

Of the balance, A Womens Way is much better than recent form and can surprise while Shwanky is in a tough one at these weights as she steps up in trip and class but comes from a very much in form stable.

Howells and Anton Marcus could have success with Accidental Tourist and add to their tally with Fire Song in a desperately moderate Qualified Maiden field in the fourth where Century Gold looks the biggest threat.

A better proposition could be Rainbowinthesky in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap. After a string of placed runs, Rainbowinthesky was switched to the poly and duly arrived beating Poster Girl. She was only given a two-pound penalty for the win and although shouldering top weight she can go to the well once again.

The lightly raced Parade’s End looks a likely threat given her two smart juvenile performances behind Marsala and Fiorella respectively before making her seasonal debut over course and distance that resulted in a comfortable maiden win. However, she takes on a useful field first up in handicap company but does have the best of the draw.

The performances of Rainbowinthesky and Shizam in the Rugby 5 Handicap, sixth race on the card, could have a major bearing on the evening’s final event where Vanity Fair, beaten less than a length by Rainbowinthesky last time out, and Sapphire Petunia, a similar distance behind Shizam, face off in what is a tricky finale.

The pair are drawn alongside each other in the first two stalls and with two other potential contenders for the winner’s box in Mbali and Flamboyant drawn at three and four respectively, this could be a tactical race to savour, especially if Mbali takes off from the jump.

By Andrew Harrison

Brett Crawford, asked when the horse is to go into quarantine, said yesterday: “I have heard nothing but normally the plane taking horses to Hong Kong doesn’t leave until after the Met. However my understanding is that once this horse has been paid for he won’t be running in South Africa again and the money is due to be paid this week.”

Edict Of Nantes (Liesl King)

The colt won the Cape Derby and Daily News in the colours of Markus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators and unconfirmed website reports put the price at just under R10 million. He is expected to join Tony Millard.

Edict Of Nantes was originally second favourite for both the Queen’s Plate and the Met but World Sports Betting, who took him out of its prices for Saturday week’s race, are now not quoting him for the Met either. Betting World has yet to price up the Queen’s Plate and has suspended its Met market since well before Christmas.

The sale is tough on Crawford as it is the second time in three seasons that he has had his best horse taken away. With Futura it was because the owners fell out.

But the in-form Philippi trainer is already planning a trip to Dubai to map out and manage a Carnival campaign for last season’s Met winner Whisky Baron.

He said: “The horse is now going to start prepping and we will soon put him back on the grass. I go out there on the Monday after the Queen’s Plate and, when I see how he is, I will sit down and work out a programme. There are two races for him in March, the Jebel Ali and a race on World Cup night if he proves good enough. I will also try and find a race for him to start off in before March.”

Elusive Heart, the only horse ever to have beaten Fillies Guineas winner Snowdance, is to stick to 1 200 and 1 400m for the time being after galloping the opposition into the ground in the Betting World Progress Plate at Kenilworth yesterday. She was beaten more than seven lengths when seventh in the Fillies Guineas.

Glen Kotzen said: “She may go for the Vasco Prix Du Cap over 1 400m here on 24 February and the Daisy Guineas in May might also suit with its short Greyville straight, provided she gets a draw – she has seldom seemed to crack a decent one in the past.”

The decision to switch the New Year’s Day meeting from Kenilworth to Durbanville has not proved popular with some trainers and there will be a total of only 52 runners for the eight races.

But Phumelela boss Clyde Basel explained: “We felt that we should give the Kenilworth racing surface some relief with the two-day Queen’s Plate meeting coming up. The alternative would have meant using the same course for three days out of six.

“We are taking advantage of the switch to invite the public to picnic and braai at Durbanville. This has proved extremely popular there in the past.”

By Michael Clower